by Ken Zino | Aug 21, 2009
As the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) or “cash for clunkers” program winds down this Monday, automotive retailers and manufacturers are attempting to keep the sales momentum going by offering a variety of incentives to keep showroom traffic flowing and the...
by Joseph Szczesny | Aug 21, 2009
More than 1,000 people turned out for a demonstration organized by the United Auto Workers at the New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. plant in Fremont, California yesterday, as the fight to save the state’s last automotive assembly plant continued to escalate. Toyota...
by Joseph Szczesny | Aug 21, 2009
General Motors Company’s board of directors was schedule to meet today for an update on the proposed deals to transfer control of its European operations, including Opel, to a group headed by Magna International or a private equity investment group called RHJI....
by Mike Davis | Aug 21, 2009
At a private meeting this week, I was privileged to hear what I think is a balanced view of the domestic auto industry’s current situation and an astute outlook for the foreseeable future. The speaker was Dr. David E. Cole, engineering professor emeritus from the...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Aug 21, 2009
In an industry where bad news has become the norm, something unexpected is happening. For more than a year now, automotive manufacturers have, with only the rarest exception, done nothing but cut, cut, cut. But as Washington prepares to wrap up the unexpectedly...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Aug 21, 2009
Just a few months ago, U.S. dealers couldn’t get customers into their showrooms. But in recent weeks, it seems, they could barely keep up with demand, thanks to the Cash-for-Clunkers program. But now, with that cash, all $3 billion worth, running out, the program is...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Aug 20, 2009
Automakers typically go to great pains to keep their future products concealed from the prying eyes of the press. But sometimes, a simple bit of serendipity comes into play – as happened today, when Mercedes-Benz engineers just happened to take a break during...
by Joseph Szczesny | Aug 20, 2009
Timing is everything. So after launching the 2009 model Mazda6 on the eve of the financial crisis last summer, the Japanese automaker plans to, well, re-launch or “continue the launch” of the mid-size four-door sedan that is a critical part of the...
by Ken Zino | Aug 20, 2009
There’s good news and bad news about the government’s Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) or “cash for clunkers” program, depending on your point of view. First, after months of debate that started last January in Congress — as China and European countries went...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Aug 20, 2009
There’s a buzzing noise coming from under the hood. It sounds a bit like an old airplane I think, but my co-pilot is less charitable: “a vacuum cleaner that’s just swallowed something big,” she offers. It takes a bit of getting used to driving advanced technology,...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Aug 19, 2009
That didn’t last long. Despite an infusion of an additional $2 billion in federal funds, on top of the original $1 billion approved by Congress, it appears the unexpectedly popular Cash-for-Clunkers program has again run out of money, says an auto dealer trade group. ...
by Ken Zino | Aug 19, 2009
It sounds like the name of an advertising agency, but KMMG actually stands for Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, the first U.S. plant for the Korean-owned automaker, which was founded as a steel tubing and bicycle parts maker in the waning days of World War Two. The...
